Just A Little
by Child of Loki
Summary: Barek and Logan celebrate the successful closing of a case, but maybe they celebrated too hard...
1. Awkward

**Disclaimer: I don't own Law & Order: Criminal Intent or its characters…**

**Author's note: I know this isn't very in character, but sometimes it's just fun to play with them. I think this may turn into a series of short whatnot just because I find it fun to write.**

**Warning: This story contains brief coarse language and content not suitable for all ages.**

**Just A Little…**

Awkward

Consciousness returned to Carolyn Barek, and it wasn't pleasant. Her head almost immediately began its throbbing song of disdain. It told her that she had probably overdone it last night. But she had deserved to have some fun. They both had. It had been a rough case, for both of them, and after they were positive that the creep was never going to taste freedom again, they had been in a mood to celebrate. Mike Logan had wanted to get drinks when they initially caught the bastard, but Carolyn had been more hesitant. In her mind, it wasn't over until sentencing.

Sentencing had been yesterday. It had said 'Life.' And they had gone out for drinks. Judging from the headache, it had been one too many.

Something else wasn't right, besides the fact that her head felt like it was about to explode. It was the smell. It was a subtle difference, but it was a difference. And it was the feel of the sheets and the mattress beneath her. And _oh god_, it wasn't her bed.

Carolyn opened her eyes slowly, blinkingly, her brain fighting the pervasive morning light. She pushed herself gently off her stomach and raised her head up to look around.

"Oh, shit!" she said, spotting the figure who lay asleep to her left. She let herself flop back down onto her stomach. What had she done? Well, it was kind of obvious from the nakedness and the togetherness. She rolled onto her back and took a deep breath. There was no use in berating herself. What was done was done. The question was, _What now?_

Should she try to wake him, talk things out immediately? Probably not. Mike Logan was not that type of man. He'd much rather keep whatever emotions and thoughts he had to himself and get on with life. _Fine_. Then, that's what she'd do, too. Just get dressed and go.

That led Carolyn to her next problem. Where were her clothes? She gingerly sat up, swinging her legs carefully to the side of the bed, attempting to let her partner sleep. It was more an attempt to spare her the awkwardness and embarrassment than to let him get rest she thought he needed. She scanned the clothing-strewn floor for familiar items. _Bingo!_ Her bra was a mere foot away from where she sat. She reached for it carefully, as if Logan were a perp and the bra was her gun lying just out of reach. _Success!_ She began to put on the coveted undergarment. Now, where was her underwear? Skirt? Shirt? Something? Anything?

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Mike Logan came back to the world of the living. It had been a rough night, but a good one. A good night being defined as one in which you did not drink alone. He remembered celebrating putting that bastard Miller in jail, permanently. No parole. Those were good words for a cop. Then he and Barek had gone out for a few celebratory drinks. He remembered laughing with her. Had there been dancing, too? It was a little difficult to tell with his head pounding at him, scolding him for drinking so much, pleading with him to go back to sleep.

He opened his eyes and winced at the pain the light brought to his hung-over brain. Movement to his right caught his attention. He turned his head, a little too quickly so that he had to close his eyes tight as if it would help prevent his brain from sloshing around, in order to identify its source. It must have been a good night because he was looking at the beautiful bare back of woman as she was fastening the clasps of a purple lacy br-

"Oh shit!" he thought, at least having the sense to not say it aloud and disturb the figure he recognized as his partner. He had gotten plastered and gone to bed with Barek. What could he do? _Play Dead!_ came to mind. He pretended to be asleep. It wouldn't work forever, but he could at least let her get dressed before they had to do the whole "awkward" thing.

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There. Carolyn felt better, but not great. This was still not a situation she wanted to be in. But at least she could face it fully clothed. Well, almost fully clothed. Her underwear still seemed to be MIA. She looked back over her shoulder. Was the sleepy-head awake?

Mike opened one eye to see Barek staring at him over her shoulder. She still sat on the edge of the bed facing away from him, only now fully clothed. It looked like it was his turn.

Of course, he was awake. He had been the entire time. She turned to face away from him again, as he moved to get out of bed and get dressed.

"Good morning," Logan said, sounding a little worn, but greeting her in the same voice he greeted her with every morning at the precinct. She turned to see him buttoning up his shirt. He adorned the same clothes he had worn yesterday, that he had shed hastily the night before. A flash of the previous night came to her, overwhelmed her. It was of lips, of bodies and hands, tugging at restricting clothing, clothing that had been keeping them apart. She shoved it back into her mind quickly to be examined later, when she had time to think it over.

"Good morning," she replied, hoping he didn't notice her hesitancy, the strain in her voice, the embarrassed flush of her cheeks. He noticed it. But he pretended not to, to spare her feelings. He liked her. She was a good partner. They had just been finding their groove, interrogations were easy, smooth. Solving cases was beginning to become fun, not the torturous head-thumpers they could be with the wrong partner. Then, he went and violated an unspoken law amongst detectives; never, ever, no matter how hot they are, sleep with your partner. The question was, _How bad had he screwed things up?_

"How 'bout some coffee?" he asked, running his hand over the back of his head. _Let the awkwardness begin_.

"Sounds good," Barek replied. She concentrated on taking deep cleansing breaths as she followed her partner-turned-lover (_Oh God! What had she done?_) into the kitchen.

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Mike stood on one side of the counter, while Carolyn sat upon a stool on the other side. They sat in an embarrassed silence waiting for the coffee to percolate. The awkward tension built up between them like clouds gathering into a thunderstorm. The humidity of the room even seemed to rise as the pressure of unspoken thoughts intensified. Each found themselves to have broken out into a cold sweat. Logan was finally the one to snap.

"This is ridiculous. We're adults," he said. He sighed exasperatedly and looked her in the eyes. "You want to talk about this?"

She leaned over the counter, holding his gaze. "Do you?"

"I suppose we should," he said, grimacing. It was apparent that he didn't want to talk about it. But he knew they had to in order to move on.

"I think so," she replied, waiting for him. She was testing him. She knew she probably shouldn't. But it was hard for her to stop. She wanted to know he was, and pushing him seemed to be the only effective means to get that answer.

"So…" he let himself trail off. She didn't respond besides staring him down with those gorgeous brown eyes of hers. _Jesus!_ She was going to make him do the talking. And by the looks of it, it was going to have to be truthful. "It was my fault. I have no self-control when I get too many in me."

"And I knew that," she said. He had tried to hook up with her before when he had had a few. She had simply sent him on his way. She should have been mindful that that tendency was there in him when he drank. It wasn't like she was worried that he'd ever try to force himself upon her, she just should have been aware that alcohol made her attractive to him. She didn't think it would be a problem. She didn't know that she had the predisposition to find him very attractive after a few drinks of her own. Maybe if she had they wouldn't be in this conversation. "It wasn't your fault. It takes two people to make this kind of lapse in judgment."

He smiled at her before he got the cups and poured the coffee. There was something in her eyes that told him it would be alright. There was a moment that passed between them that said "Sure it's awkward. But we'll work through it. Not because we have to. Because we want to."

"We okay?" Logan asked, handing his partner a hot cup of coffee, then taking a drink of his own. She took a sip of the proffered liquid, closing her eyes and seemingly reveling in it. She opened her eyes to look him straight in the face.

"We're okay," Barek said. "Except I couldn't find my underwear."


	2. Misplaced

**Disclaimer: I don't own Law & Order: CIor its characters…**

**Author's note: I kind of like it just how I left it…but who can resist the chance to play with them more! **

**Warning: This section contains material not suitable for all ages as well as some minor coarse language.**

**Just A Little**

Misplaced

"Except I couldn't find my underwear."

A memory flashed through Logan's mind. He was running a hand up Barek's smooth bare leg, finding its way under her black skirt tracing the curve of her tight a-_whoa. Definitely don't want to go there. _He shook his head in an attempt to fling the memory from his mind. It wasn't something he should think about, especially when she was still in his apartment, wearing the same clothes he had helped her out of the night before, and looking disheveled in a rather alluring manner. But there was some part of the memory that was useful, so he tried to dredge the information up as quickly as possible without loitering in the events of the previous night for too long. All the while, he gulped down the coffee, an effort to avoid making eye contact with Barek while he remembered her in an intimate way.

"Purple. Lacy," he said, finally recalling the information he was after. He should have known. Of course they would match her bra. This was Barek, after all.

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Carolyn Barek, NYPD detective, expert profiler of the criminal mind, turned a rather dark shade of pink for a grown woman, especially for one who had seen the things she had seen. She couldn't fight the embarrassment. It felt so weird and just plain _wrong_ that her partner knew what her underwear looked like. But of course he did. That's what happens when people… Part of last night flashed through her head.

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They had just been making their way up to his apartment, laughing and kissing, all too eager for each other. His apartment door had been just a few feet away when they had stopped, too caught up in their drunken bliss to realize their proximity to their destination. He had been kissing her passionately, maddeningly, breathlessly. She had found herself trying to pull away from him desperate for air, but unable to, all the while enjoying herself immensely. They had clung to each other passionately but haphazardly until they had stumbled into the wall. Then he had had her with her back to the wall and his body pressing in close. And she had kissed him and ran her hands over his body hungrily. And his hands had found their way up her legs, under her skirt, to her waist. She had found herself lifted off her feet and she had wrapped her legs around his body, eager to be close to him. Then he had slid her panties off, her purple, lacy panties, right before-

_Oh dear!_ Were her panties left lying in the hall, mindlessly discarded by their inebriated owner and her just-as-toasted lover?

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Logan gave his partner a critical look. Her eyes had gone large, her facial expression had gone from calm and serene (although he could tell it had been forced) to outright disturbed. She looked frightened and embarrassed.

"I think I left them in the hall…outside," Carolyn confessed, supposing that it wouldn't make much difference now no matter how reticent she wanted to be. _In for a penny, in for a pound._ He had helped her out of them, so the least her could do was help her find them again.

"If that's true," he quickly replied. Hesitancy only created time for awkwardness to sneak back in between them. "…then they probably aren't there anymore."

"Are you serious?" Barek asked, recognizing the joke, relieved at the reemergence of the playful manner he normally displayed. "This is a worse neighborhood than I thought, then."

He smiled at her. "Yeah. The people around here don't possess much sense of propriety."

He began to roam with his coffee, searching the apartment for his partner's purple lacy under things. They should stand out amongst his own possessions like a sore thumb. He wasn't much one for purple décor, and he definitely didn't feel too amiable towards laciness. When he was sure he was out of range of eye contact, he finished playing on his earlier comment. He just couldn't resist teasing her. "I hear that some people even have sex right in the halls of apartment buildings nearby."

Logan could've sworn that he heard her choke on her coffee.

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Had they done it right there in the hall right outside his apartment? Was he capable of that, even when he was a little beyond drunk? Surely, Barek wasn't. She was as straight-laced as they came, but you had to be careful with that type, didn't you? _Maybe she has a kinky side._ He didn't especially want to remember whether or not she had been kinky the night before, but he _did _want to know how impaired their judgment had really been.

They had been pretty heavy in the hallway. He remembered that. He _had_ relieved her of her panties while they were against the wall. They had been right on the edge of, right about to…but they hadn't, not in the hall at least. He sighed in relief. Then he laughed to himself as he remembered the conversation that had passed between them amongst the kissing and caressing.

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"_We probably shouldn't..." _kiss "…_ do this here," she had said breathlessly, however not very adamantly._

"_Yeah," he conferred, also breathless. _More kissing. "_We could get arrested for indecent exposure and performing lewd acts."_

"_I'm sure…ohhh…that would go… ahh…over well," she had replied to his joke while he kissed down her neck and chest. "Two cops…" _taking in air "_…brought up on…oh god…charges for...for having sex..." _breathing out in a controlled manner_ "…in a public place."_

_They then had proceeded, with some amount of difficulty, to move it into his apartment._

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But the question still remained, _where were his partner's panties?_ He was a detective. He should be able to figure this out, right? _Right_. So where had he last seen them. Well, he knew that. In the hall, after he had so generously freed them from their wearer. Logan decided that it would be prudent to start there and made his way towards the door. _They always return to the scene of the crime, don't they?_

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After taking a few minutes to recover from her partner's smartass remark (_please god, let it be the last not the first_) and nearly choking on coffee, Carolyn Barek started to wonder where he had got to. She didn't especially want to keep tabs on him in his own apartment, but the whole situation was putting her on edge. Waking up naked in bed with your partner and having the memory of the night before return to you only through dramatic and intense flashes could unsettle the most hardened of NYPD cops. She was about to yield to her anxiousness and go in search of her partner, and possibly, panties when she heard his voice calling from a different area of the apartment.

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"Hey, Barek!" Mike called as he bent down to pick up the misplaced panties. They were tiny, but she was a petite woman. Still, he never really understood how women managed to feel comfortable in such a scarce amount of clothing. Not that he was complaining. The only thing hotter than an attractive woman in lingerie was one wearing nothing at all. One wearing nothing at all, while in bed with him. Now that was a good time. He mentally slapped himself. If Barek knew what he was thinking (_and he was thinking it about her, too, _his partner_, dammit_) she would have called him a disgusting pig. And she would have been right. _And speak of the devil_…

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"You found them?" Carolyn asked as she entered the small entranceway leading to the apartment door. Logan noticed the strained calmness in her voice and the slight twitch of her arm as she stopped herself from instinctively reaching out and grabbing them away from him. This was still embarrassing for her, despite their agreement that they were "okay." There was only one thing he could do, for this was no time to make light of things, he had to_ be respectful_. It was hard for him. His automatic response to situations, particularly stressful or uncomfortable ones, was to turn to sarcasm and wit. But he couldn't risk her feelings. He handed her the lost item that had put desperation into her eyes and a blush on her cheeks. _Or had he done that last night?_

"Thanks," she said, slightly relieved. She wouldn't feel at ease until she had put them back on, but she gave him a sincerely grateful smile. Then she bent down and stepped into her recovered underwear, one leg at a time. She could feel her partner watching her as she began to pull them up her legs, slipping them over her knees and up her thighs. She glanced up to see him hastily turning his back to her. _Trying to be a gentleman_. _That's worth a few points. Not many, but a few._ He had caused her to lose her panties in the first place after all.

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Logan studied the wall, feigning a little more interest than necessary. But it had disturbed him how he had watched his partner slip the troublesome panties on, how he had been entranced by the sight of them moving up her bare thigh, how he had almost guffawed at her throughout the entire event. _Might as well been drooling._ _Idiot!_ He kept cursing himself for his lack of impulse control, because now he had to train himself to see his partner as his partner again, not the very attractive woman he had gone to bed with the previous night. A delicate hand on his shoulder told him it was time to turn around again.

"You okay, now?" he asked, feeling stupid. It was such an ambiguous question. It could mean anything. He didn't want her to feel like he was pushing at her to leave. But he was uncomfortable, and so was she. She had already told him that they were "okay" and he really wanted it to be true, but things were still awkward and confusing. He sighed inwardly. They probably would be for a while.

"I'm good," she replied. Finally the feelings of vulnerability had left her. She gave him a smile and squeezed his arm as she moved past him to the door. She turned before she closed the door behind her. "And Mike, _We Are Okay_."

Detective Mike Logan watched the door close and wished that his partner was right. He really liked Carolyn Barek, and didn't want to lose her to a stupid mistake.

**A/N: I hope someone else got some enjoyment out of this. I at least had fun. I think that there will be more…**


	3. Different

**Disclaimer: I don't Law & Order: Criminal Intent or its characters…**

**Author's Note: The dabbling continues… I should've known better than to let myself become attached to Barek. I was just starting to like the character and now I find out that Anabella Sciorra left the show and they are going to introduce a new partner for Logan. :-( Oh well, I'm still going to play with the characters…**

Different

Another workday. Another crime. Another life lost.

Detective Carolyn Barek stared at the mess. To describe the room as disheveled was a massive understatement. It was beyond trashed, and lying in the middle of it was a young woman. She looked so pathetic, as broken and distorted as her apartment. But it wasn't her fault, and it was time to find out whose fault it was.

Scrutinizing the room intensely, Carolyn attempted to reconstruct in her mind the events that had passed there. It was so muddled, chaotic, she was having a hard time seeing what had happened in the death-saturated room. Had the victim bashed her head off the bookshelf over there? Was that bloody handprint on the wall made by her fighting to remain standing and conscious, to live? Or was it made by the perp as he/she fled the scene?

Suddenly a strong hand was at her back, pulling her away from the cold corpse and crime scene towards a warm body.

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Detective Mike Logan pulled his partner out of the way of the rushing coroners and the metal gurney they were recklessly pushing into the room. The thing about crime scenes, that his partner never seemed to grasp, was that as soon as they were discovered they ceased to ever be serene again. They were crowded and noisy, and Barek always had to be right in the midst of it, in the coroners' and CSU people's way. How many times had he saved her from getting run over by a gurney and trampled by the workers in jumpsuits who cleaned up death?

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Barek suddenly found herself very close to her partner. Workers from the ME office scuttled past with the gurney for the body. She had found herself in such situations before. Almost getting crushed by her fellow crime-solving civic employees seemed to be a rather common occurrence. In fact, people not noticing her presence had been a constant throughout her life. She was after all, the observer, the one who blends into the background. The difference lately had been that she had someone explicitly looking out for her, grabbing her out of the way of speeding gurneys and overworked CSUs.

But something was different this time. It felt different. His hand resting on the middle of her back dredged up memories, memories of that night they had spent together. Carolyn recalled the same feel of his hand on her back pulling her into him, and the smell of alcohol on his breath. It hadn't bothered her, her own breath also reeking of intoxication at the time. But there had been his smell as well, of his soap and aftershave. She had found it just as intoxicating as the alcohol then. Now, his scent still made her cheeks flush, or was that the recollection his touch had initiated?

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How many times had he guided her out of the way in the exact same manner? How many more times would he have to do it? But why did it feel different this time? And would it feel odd every time he touched her again? Sure, it had been awkward in the past, when they hadn't known each other very well. And even after they had gotten to know one another, they would hastily break away from each other and she would utter her grateful and sincere thanks. But then they would get back to work without another thought to it.

But now, now she was staring into his eyes with a strange look in hers. And he was looking back into her dewy brown ones. And he wasn't letting go of her. They were lingering with their bodies pressed together. That morning, after that night, he had asked himself a question. And now he had the answer. _He had screwed things up _bad_, real_ _bad._

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The two detectives broke apart, breathless and agitated, as if they had just been engaged in a passionate embrace. Carolyn tried to return her focus to the crime scene, but found her mind to be resistant. Instead it dwelled upon her partner, their previous proximity, and the affect it had had upon her. She thought about his scent, and what it had felt like to stand so close to him. She wondered if suspects felt overwhelmed by his presence when he got in their faces, if they were able to smell his aftershave, as she just had, during intense interrogations. They probably didn't find it alluring and intoxicating, like she had, considering the cause for their proximity to the intimidating detective. But all the same, she knew that she would be jealous of the suspects in the future, the ones Logan leaned in close to in order to get in their faces.

She sighed, unable to get a grip on the events that formed the crime scene laid out before them. That morning, after that night they had spent together, they had said they'd be okay. And they were okay, but that didn't stop things from being…_different_…than they used to be. So, the question currently plaguing detective Carolyn Barek's mind (as she tried to pretend that she wasn't horribly distracted from her work) was, _Does different mean good or bad?_


	4. Daydreaming

**Disclaimer: I don't own Law & Order: Criminal Intent or its characters…**

**Author's note: Here's some more of this one, if you're still interested. Sorry for the delay…I got distracted by other fics. Please let me know if I should continue with this or pour my energies into other endeavors.**

**Just A Little**

Daydreaming

_Why couldn't he stop thinking about her in inappropriate ways?_

It must be her eyes, big and brown, and her hair, soft curls falling about her shoulders, tucked away from her face, and her lips, her pretty delicate lips that teased him as she spoke. He just wanted to look into her bright eyes, run his hands through her silky locks, and kiss her alluring lips. Truthfully, he wanted more than to just enjoy them, he wanted to claim them as his own. But he didn't really want to be _that_ kind of man, and he knew that she definitely wasn't the kind of woman who could be a possession. Still, the thought of another having access to her captivating features was unbearable, and he so desired to be the only one to touch her gorgeous hair, receive her adoring looks and engage those lips in more than conversation.

She looked up and Detective Mike Logan knew he was caught. He looked hastily down at the report laid out in front of him. _Stop staring. Stop Staring. Stop Staring._ He could probably manage to stop staring, at least for awhile, but he couldn't stop thinking about her, _desiring_ her. What he really wanted to do was take her in his arms and hold her tight, nuzzle her neck and the soft curls of her hair. He wanted to lie with her in his arms until her tender form and gentle breathing lulled him to sleep. He wanted her there to keep the horrors of the case from taking over his mind, disturbing his slumber. And if they did disturb his sleep, he wanted her there to take it away, comfort him and let him know it would be alright. And perhaps his own strong arms wrapped securely around her petite body would provide her some relief from the terrors of the murdered as well.

And he found himself shocked at the revelation that he daydreamed about cuddling with his partner. Should he not have more manly desires? Shouldn't he be daydreaming about picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her off somewhere to have his way with her? (Well, in all honesty, he shouldn't be daydreaming about her at all, but while you're at it…) Or about throwing her on the desk and taking her right there and then, harshly and passionately, until her lips (lips that he wished belonged to him) parted-no, until _he_ parted _them_ in a pleasurable cry of ecstasy?

He breathed out loud and fidgeted with the collar of his shirt which suddenly felt too tight around his neck. Maybe, he desired _that_ as well.

Detective Carolyn Barek noticed her partner shift uncomfortably. Again she looked up to check on him. His face was flushed and he looked startled as he noticed her gaze had fallen upon him again. Something was definitely wrong. He was horribly distracted, had been all morning while they sifted through paperwork, and she had a feeling that she knew why. It was because of that night, that one stupid, impulsive, thoughtless passionate night. Things had been off between them ever since, and despite how she tried she still couldn't resolve the feelings he stirred in her. Apparently, it was the same for him.

An evil thought passed through Carolyn's head. She could have some fun with this. She faked like she was overheating as well, fanning her face with her hand. Then, she unbuttoned the front of her blouse, and leaning back in her chair, let it fall open to reveal the tight form-fitting camisole beneath. She stretched her shoulders back, emphasizing her round shapely breasts. Smiling inwardly, she examined her partner's response. He was staring at her like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.

Mike realized that he was ogling his partner horribly. He quickly turned his attention away, not bothering to disguise his discomfort. His head was so mixed up he didn't know what to think. One minute he was fantasizing about jumping her, the next he was scolding himself for ever even considering his partner as anything else besides the detective she was.

Carolyn considered leaning forward to 'make a note' on the paper lying on her desk, all the while offering Logan a direct view of what was down her shirt. Despite her formal exterior, Carolyn liked playing games with men. That was one of the reasons she always acted so cold towards her charming partner, reigning in the urge to flirt back and play off his innuendos. She had maintained the line for so long, but now things were all muddled up and she felt herself coming dangerously close to crossing it. She had found him alluring, undeniably since the beginning she had been attracted to him, but whereas before she would never consider acting upon it, now she found herself considering it. Except it was inappropriate, taboo even.

She studied his face as he avoided looking at her. If it was any indication, he was just as mixed up as she was. Guilt suddenly flooded into her mind, tightening her chest. She had begun to play with her partner, manipulate him when he was already so unusually off-balance. Mike Logan always seemed so sure of himself, so confident. Maybe that was why Carolyn had felt the urge to throw him off kilter, but she now realized the cruelty in it. The fault for his confusion wasn't really his anyway. She was the one who had failed to anticipate what the consequences of their actions would be. She had known what he was like when he drank, and she should have abstained from the activity herself. But it was too late for that; they were both suffering the consequences, unable to deal with the conflicting emotions threatening to tear apart their partnership, their sanity.

Aborting her previous plans to tease her flustered partner further, Carolyn stood, he once again looked up at the captivating woman. There was a strange look in his eyes, questioning, almost panicked over her perceived departure.

"I'm going to the little girl's room," she explained. She couldn't refasten the buttons on her blouse in front of him, now that she had feigned warmth. Not that it really mattered. He probably already knew that she had been playing him. He was still looking at her strangely, and it made Carolyn uncomfortable. How could she make it seem like everything was normal?

"Or do I need a hall pass, _Mr. Logan_?" she said, emphasizing the formality in his name, which inadvertently directed attention to the more than few years he held on the younger woman. It was callous, but it was a comment she would have made before this whole mess, and at least would maintain the illusion of normalcy to the outside world. With that she left the shocked and perplexed man, feeling ashamed and heartless of her treatment of him.

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"Did you see that?" Detective Robert Goren asked his partner quietly, moving a hand askew to direct her attention to the desks that the other pair of major case detectives shared.

"There's something going on between them," Alex replied without looking up from the file she was perusing for information. "Something personal."

Bobby smiled and turned his attention back to the stack of files in front of him. A lot of people focused only on him, because he was the 'observant one', the one they needed to worry about discovering the truth. So they never paid much attention to Alex, and that was often their downfall. She could be even more perceptive than the infamous Bobby Goren himself, who often suffered from the single track mind. She in fact had picked up on the tension between Logan and Barek far before he had, and observed the entire exchange while covertly and expertly appearing to read the files splayed out in front of her.

He couldn't imagine solving the cases they did without her. He only hoped that the other detectives worked out their issues. Fighting the evil of the world was not an undertaking to be assumed single-handedly. A steady partner could serve as a solid anchor in reality and wisdom amongst an otherwise tumultuous and perplexing world. Bobby Goren knew that fact well. The question was, did Logan and Barek know realize that, or would they have to learn it the hard way?

**A/N: More? How do you think Logan and Barek will be able to resolve their issues?**


	5. Girl Talk

**Disclaimer: I don't own Law & Order: Criminal Intent or its characters…**

**Author's note: Sorry it took this long for an update. I've been busy not getting my work done. So really, I have no excuse besides I just didn't feel like writing this. But I finally forced myself to do it, and found that I liked it and hence it ended up quite a bit longer than I had ever intended, but I hope it's enjoyable…**

**Just A Little…**

Girl Talk

"Hey, Alex!" Detective Carolyn Barek called out her coworker's name as she followed the woman out of the office. She wanted to catch her before she left for the day.

"Oh, hey," Alex said, turning to face the person who called out her name as she caught up to her.

"Are you busy?" Carolyn asked quietly, falling into step beside Alex.

"No. What can I do for you, Carolyn?" she answered, becoming curious as to what the generally private detective could want from her.

"Can I buy you a beer?" Barek continued, reassured by the other detective's warm acceptance.

"That sounds great," Alex answered, but wanted more information concerning the invitation. "But can I ask you why the offer?"

Carolyn sighed as she pushed the elevator button. "I need some advice."

"I appreciate that you came to me," Alex responded, a little concerned that she wouldn't be able to fulfill Barek's expectations. "But am I really the best one to give you advice? I mean we don't really know each other that well."

The two detectives entered the elevator together. After the doors swished shut leaving them alone in the steel box, Carolyn felt more comfortable to talk about her problem. Although she probably wouldn't feel really free to discuss it until they had found a private place to talk at the bar, as well as a couple of beers in her.

"The thing is," Carolyn tried to explain her reasoning for approaching Alex. "I've tried to talk about…_my problem_ with my friends and they just don't understand because-

"They're not cops," Alex finished for her.

"Exactly," Carolyn responded, more than slightly relieved that she understood.

"Why didn't you go to your partner?" she asked, knowing full well the reason.

Carolyn swallowed hard. Well, this was it; the test that would see if she would actually be able to reveal all and ask for help from Alex. "He's the problem."

Alex simply nodded, giving Carolyn an understanding look. It eased the nervous tension she had been feeling ever since she had decided to request of the other female detective a sympathetic ear. She respected Alex Eames, and she didn't want to do anything to lose her respect. However, Carolyn also knew that she was her best hope for any outside perspective that comprehended the facts and the life.

------------------------------------

Carolyn had been right. Two had been the magic number; the number of beers she needed to loosen up just enough to spill everything to Alex.

"I remember that case," Alex said. "I was so relieved that we didn't get that one, not that I'd wish it upon you guys."

"Tell me about it," Carolyn responded. "Anyway, Mike really felt like celebrating the closing of that one. And I guess so did I, because after sentencing, we went out for a few drinks."

"And he tried to hit on you again?" Alex asked.

"No…well yes…" Carolyn answered, slightly confused. "But how did you know about that?

"I have my sources," she answered, winking and taking a sip of her beer. Just because they were trying to be open and friendly with one another, didn't mean Alex had to reveal that her sources were simply Mike having told Bobby about his stupid behavior and her prying it out of Bobby. Let the woman think she had connections. "So, what exactly did happen?"

Taking another swig of beer, Carolyn found the strength to reveal all. "I woke up the next morning, in bed with Logan, naked. That's what happened."

Alex' eyes grew wide and several seconds passed before she found herself able to respond. "Oh my. What did you do?"

"It was pretty obvious what we had done," Carolyn retorted.

"No," Alex corrected, laughing slightly. "I mean after you woke up."

"Oh," Carolyn blushed slightly at realizing her mistake. Was she already on her third beer? Maybe she should slow down a little. "I got dressed. He made us coffee, found my underwear. Then I left."

"Found your underwear?" Alex asked, picking out the strange detail.

"Um…yeah," Carolyn answered, still rather embarrassed over the whole ordeal, but feeling better over the receptiveness of her new found friend. "We apparently had misplaced them during the night. After some searching, Mike found them near his apartment door"

"How was it?" Alex asked after she finished laughing, picturing Mike hunting down his partner's panties. She wondered if even Bobby could save face in such a situation.

"Awkward."

"No," Alex found herself trying to explicate her meaning again. "How was he?"

"Uncomfortable."

"No." Alex laughed uncontrollably for a minute. "How was he, you know, _in bed_?"

"I'm not sure I can share that information."

"Oh, why not?" Alex asked. "Please? It's not like Logan doesn't share details about his exploits around the water cooler on a daily basis."

Carolyn laughed. It was sort of true about her partner's bragging. However, he hadn't mentioned what had occurred between them to anyone. Bobby was the likeliest candidate for Mike spilling his guts to, but if he had, Alex would've known by now. But that wasn't the vital factor in Carolyn's assertion. "I try not to remember that night."

"Why?" Alex asked, shocked. "Was it that bad?"

"No!" Carolyn countered. "It's not that at all. The opposite actually. I just don't want to think about it. It mixes me up. That's the entire problem. I don't know what to think about him anymore.

"Hmm…"Alex tried to consider the problem. She herself wasn't in an entirely different situation, if she had interpreted what Barek's problem actually was. Feelings had popped up, feelings they weren't necessarily ready for, or willing to accept. But at least, in Alex' case, they had come on so gradually, it was easier to relegate them to the side of her mind. She couldn't imagine suddenly being inundated with new emotions, ones that she had to face everyday without time to figure them out. But, "Honestly, I don't know what to tell you Carolyn."

"Really?" she asked. "Because I could've sworn that you and-"

"Bobby?" Alex interrupted. "C'mon, Carolyn. Bobby Goren? Do something impulsive, make a rash decision? That'd be the day…"

"Are you sure you want to stick with that story because-"

"Somebody tell you otherwise?" Alex asked, suddenly becoming defensive. "Because they're lying and if I find out who it is I'll-"

"No, no," Carolyn cut the uneasy woman off. "Nobody told me anything like that. I just observed that there seemed to be something between you two, but maybe I was just reading into it too much."

"You were," Alex asserted, beginning to calm down again. This was supposed to be about Carolyn and Mike, not her unacknowledged feelings for Bobby. "The only thing between Detective Goren and me is respect."

"And you've never wanted more than respect from him?" Carolyn asked, unable to let it go. Maybe if she figured out how the other pair of detectives worked around their emotions, she could it apply it to her relationship with Logan. Although, apparently, they had never made the mistake that Carolyn and Mike had, a.k.a. getting drunk and waking up next to your partner the next morning.

Alex contemplated Carolyn's face. She was being sincere with her, open and honest. If Alex wanted to get a friend out of this, she would have to do the same. She took a deep breath. "Bobby is a nice, considerate, man. And a brilliant detective." She caught Carolyn's look. "Although, somewhat of an acquired taste."

Carolyn smiled at the comment. Admittedly, she was slightly unnerved by Detective Goren. However, his partner seemed to be quite comfortable with him. In fact, Carolyn was sure there was more to it than even the flattery Alex had just laid upon him. "And…"

"And…" Alex began, still uncertain of voicing the feelings aloud that she had kept hidden even from herself for so long. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't consider him attractive, entertain the idea that we-but it's just an idea, nothing more."

The sadness that enveloped Alex' features touched Carolyn. She had never witnessed that side of the woman before. She had always thought her stronger than herself, with an impenetrable skin, tough and resilient. But Alex Eames was just a woman, like Carolyn herself, one that had the same desire to not be alone.

"And never will be, never can be," Alex finished. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat with a gulp of the alcoholic beverage sitting before her on the petite high wooden table. It seemed to refresh her entirely. "But that's not why we're here, getting drunk, is it? You asked me here because you wanted help with _your_ problem."

"Yes," Carolyn conceded, but not quite wanting to switch the subject back to her so soon. "But I thought you said that you didn't know what to tell me?"

"I did say that," Alex answered. "But that was before I had time to think it through."

"So?" Carolyn questioned eagerly, leaning in slightly.

"So we find out if Mike feels the same about you," Alex supplied. "You do have feelings for him? That's what this is all about, right?"

Carolyn seemed hesitant. She hadn't quite figured out the nature of her feelings for Mike, besides that they were confused. But Alex was right, she was confused because she liked him and didn't know what to do about it. Well, she knew that she should probably just let it go; it was a silly notion that they could be together anyway. But she just couldn't seem to do that. "Yes. That's my problem."

"But…" she continued. "How are we supposed to figure out if he feels the same? It's not like I can just bring it up in the middle of an investigation. 'Oh, hey Mike. By the way, you know how we got drunk and slept together? Well, that got me to thinking that I might have feelings for you. How 'bout you? Done any soul searching lately?' That'd go over real well, I'm sure."

Alex smiled fiendishly. She had the perfect pawn in mind for recovering that particular information. "I'll convince Bobby to get it out of him. Logan's pretty sharp, but Bobby might be able to discern his feelings for you without alerting him to the fact that we sent him."

"Then what!" Carolyn responded, unprepared for the fact that things were going places she had never intended, and rather quickly, too. "It's not like we can have a relationship. It's against department regs for people who are involved to be partners…" A thought occurred to Carolyn, one that answered questions that had been bothering her for awhile. "That's why you and Bobby have never gotten together?"

It was more statement than fact, but Alex nodded her head in acknowledgement. Finally, there was someone who would understand, that she could explain herself to, something she had desired to do for so long a time. She needed to tell Carolyn, give legitimacy to her rational, and determine if it only made sense in her own head, whether she had made the right decision.

"I've wanted to, sometimes, I've thought about it. And I think he has, too," she began to tell the only other person who could ever come close to sympathizing with her, besides the man she had kept her feelings from for so long. "But he needs me as a partner much more than he needs me as a lover. Work is his life. Justice is his passion. Without a partner, he would get lost in it all. And frankly no one else could do the job."

It was Carolyn's turn to simply nod her head, while giving her new found friend a compassionate comprehending look. Alex looked away for a moment, relieved that she had finally given voice to her thoughts, upset by the finality it seemed to bestow upon the situation.

After a few minutes of silence passed between them, and they both had finished off their beers, Alex was the first to speak. "Well, then. Should we have another round?"

She flagged the waiter down.

--------------------------------------

_Oh god, she had to stop doing this! _Carolyn cursed herself for her actions. She really couldn't afford to go out with the "guys" anymore. First, she made the mistake of sleeping with Logan, causing herself a crisis in identity and priorities. Then, she went out with Alex, hoping to get some advice out of the woman, which she did, to a degree. Instead she had acquired the worst hangover known to mankind, and in the process, ended up making a new friend.

She staggered out of bed and across her room to close the blinds, but realized they were already shut as tightly as they were going to get. So she cursed the bright rays of the sun that still managed to penetrate through the cracks and torture her eyes and head. Then she staggered to the kitchen, a hand in front of her face, protecting her from the outside world, in order to fetch a glass of water and something to stifle the cries of her suffering brain.

A moan from the living room couch reminded her that she had also acquired a guest the previous night. She poured another glass of water and measured out another dose of aspirin. She took her own medication, praying that it would do its job, and then made her way to the living room with the water and pills.

"Good morning, Alex," She said sweetly, and smiled when she saw the leg that was hanging out from underneath the blanket, off the edge of the couch twitch. "C'mon…I got a present for you."

The mass of knotted dirty blonde hair stirred, and Alex' face appeared to greet Carolyn with a wince and squinted eyes.

"Oh god," she moaned as she sat up, rubbing her face with her hands. "We shouldn't have had that last round."

"Or the one before that," Carolyn added, sitting down beside her and proffering the glass of water and the pills. "Or the one before that, for that matter."

"Thanks," Alex said, gratefully accepting the offering on behalf of her pounding head. She swallowed the pills and hastily drank down the entire glass of water. Drinking alcohol always made her feel extremely dehydrated the next morning. "I guess I should get going."

"You're welcome to stick around," Carolyn offered. "I'm thinking a nice quiet morning-well, day-of watching movies until the hangover wears off."

"That does sound nice," Alex conferred, but she still seemed undecided.

"It's Saturday," Carolyn coaxed. "And I know you don't have any plans."

They smiled at each other, having in common the fact that neither had a boyfriend or many other friends, or a life outside work in general.

"So, what movies did you have in mind?" Alex asked.

"I always find that the _Wizard of Oz_ does wonders for hangovers."


	6. Game

**Disclaimer: I don't own Law & Order Criminal Intent or its characters…**

**Author's note: This took quite a bit longer to post than I had originally anticipated. I think it was because I was hesitant to write Goren, being unable to do him justice. Fortunately, he's not the focus of this fic, so no delving deeply into his character is required. **

**Just A Little…**

Game

"Four in the corner pocket, seven-side," Bobby announced matter-of-factly before he bent over to line up the cue and expertly execute the prediction. The billiard balls clanked audibly as they ricocheted off one another, and the two targeted ones sunk into their designated pockets. He smiled at his opponent, whom returned it in the form of a half-hearted wince.

Detective Robert Goren considered his next shot. He could win this game without much effort, but he needed more time than that would provide. His opponent, the other male Major Case detective, would no doubt call it a night, having become fed up with his showmanship at playing Pool. And Bobby was just ready to bring up the subject he had been sent on a mission to recover information upon. It would require time to tease the information out of his reticent opponent, especially if he didn't want him to catch onto the ploy.

"Six, corner," he called. He lined up the shot confidently, then missed purposefully. Instead of sinking neatly into the corner pocket, the six-ball caught the edge of the pocket and bounced back with enough force to send the quiescent billiards into haphazard vectors. He stood back up and looked to his opponent.

Detective Mike Logan gave his opponent, and apparently drinking companion for the night, a suspicious, scrutinizing look. There was no way that Bobby Goren could've missed a shot that easy. The man was a genius at everything he did, not to mention observant. He had probably even only ever watched people play Pool before, but here he was kicking Mike's ass. Then again, maybe he wasn't all that quick; the man seemed to have one large blind spot, his partner, Alex Eames. Goren took that woman for granted, but who was Mike to interfere?

However, the detective was up to something…but what? Mike shrugged in response before deciding on the shot he'd take. He took a swig of the beer he was currently working on, fortification to help him endure whatever Goren was up to, which he guessed included talk. Walking around the pool table, Mike set his beer on the edge, and bent over to line up the shot. He pulled back the cue and-

"So I hear Carolyn Barek is quite a woman."

The unexpected comment startled Mike and he messed up the shot. He rose to his full height to match Goren's towering figure and stared the man down.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Maybe this wasn't the best approach to take…Bobby was beginning to have second thoughts about potentially getting on Logan's bad side. The man proved to be a more than competent detective, and not nearly as dense as he sometimes pretended to be. Bobby couldn't risk him seeing through the rouse. Feelings could get hurt that way, not to mention Alex would be pissed at him if he told on Barek. He simply had to use his temper against him. It was the only weak spot Bobby had been able to identify in Logan.

"Nothing," he offered the not quite infuriated, but could very possibly soon be, man. He had to make him angry but not too angry. And he had to keep him from thinking this was about him. But Bobby couldn't force it. _Let him bite_…

Bobby acted as if he was attempting to shrug off the earlier comment, and moved to take his next shot. He contemplated saying something to Logan as he prepared to pocket the five, and if he was lucky, on the rebound nudge the six-ball that had 'eluded' him earlier into the corner. It was unnecessary however, for Logan apparently felt motivated to pursue the point as Bobby executed the play.

"Where'd you hear that? And why did you feel the need to mention it to me?"

_Oh, great! He's already suspicious._ Having righted himself again, Bobby smiled at Logan. It was good to know he was as smart, probably smarter, than he had given the man credit for. He took a swig of his own beer, trying to decide how to proceed. He would already have to direct it away from Logan, since the detective had caught that the intention was towards him.

"Honestly?" Bobby asked, knowing he was about to lie and not flinching a bit. He probably had been a detective for too long, if playing a specious role came so easily to him.

"Please," Mike told the other man, the underlying message being 'tell me or I'm about to become really angry and try to kick your ass, even if I'm not sure I'll win.'

"I'm thinking about asking her for a date."

Mike simply stared at the other man without speaking for several minutes. Finally he seemed to come to a decision.

"No you're not."

Bobby couldn't help smiling again. _Definitely more adept than I gave him credit for._

"You wanna try again?" Mike offered. It was not a suggestion.

The pool game had been basically forgotten. The two men simply stood there staring one another down. Bobby was too busy deciding how to complete his task without revealing too much, exposing Carolyn's feelings and reservations. Mike was too preoccupied being confused and pissed over being toyed with.

"Okay," Bobby conceded. "You got me. You want to know the real reason I bought you a beer?"

"You're not getting off the hook now," Logan replied coldly. The two went to sit at the bar. "Spill it."

"Alex was worried," Bobby supplied. "Carolyn's really upset and apparently it's because of you."

"Oh great," Logan cursed. "I knew this would happen."

Bobby gave him what he hoped was a sincere sympathetic look. The kind he gave suspects just wouldn't cut it, for if the other detective could see through him so easily earlier, he'd most definitely read into any false empathy badly.

Mike sighed heavily. He might as well tell the man. He knew Goren wasn't one to let things go, especially if Eames was likely to keep harassing him about it. Besides, maybe he'd know what to do. The Great Detective Goren was supposed to have some sort of special insight into how people worked, so maybe he could tell Mike what the hell was wrong with women!

"We went out, got drunk," Mike explained. "We woke up together the next morning."

Bobby studied his face for a moment. It was guilt he witnessed, written all over the tortured man's face. Logan was confused by his other emotions; it was hard to read how exactly the man felt about Carolyn Barek, even when Bobby had first mentioned her name. But the remorse, the sense of responsibility for the situation was apparent.

"You feel like you took advantage of her," Bobby suggested.

"I did take advantage of her," Mike asserted. Goren nodded his head, but offered no immediate response.

"Does she believe that?" Bobby asked, already certain that she didn't…at least from what he could tell from their interactions he had observed, and what Alex had told him. "Did you two talk about it?"

Logan sighed and drank some more before responding. "We did talk about it, that morning. She said that we were 'okay.' And stupid me, I believed her! God, I hate women sometimes!"

Bobby didn't know how to respond. He could tell Logan what he knew to be Carolyn's feelings on the matter, but convincing the man would be another story. Besides, that would be a betrayal of the woman's confidence, in both Alex and himself, not to mention a betrayal of Alex' confidence in him. However, the most important factor, in Bobby's mind, that prevented him from easing the other man's pain and confusion was the notion that this was something Carolyn should take care of herself. She had to be the one to straighten out her relationship with her partner, no matter how much Bobby wanted to aide the pair.

Detective Robert Goren ordered another round of drinks for he and his sort-of friend, and offered the man all he could, commiseration over the perplexity that was women.


	7. Revelation

**Disclaimer: I don't own Law & Order: Criminal Intent or its characters…**

**Just A Little…**

Revelation

Carolyn slid into the elevator, squeezing between the doors before they closed. She wasn't letting him go that easily. He ignored her dramatic display at entering the elevator with him and moved to push the button for the lobby of the building. Before he could complete his task, her hand shot out and knocked his away from the buttons.

"Not so fast, Mike," she said staring him down. He refused to make eye contact with her. _Damn him!_ He had been acting strangely for days, ever since Alex and she had sent Bobby to talk to him. Maybe she had made a mistake entertaining the idea that there could ever be anything between them besides their professional partnership. She pushed the button to hold the elevator doors closed. "I want to talk to you."

_Oh, shit! Here it comes!_ Mike had been anticipating it for days, ever since Bobby had attempted to sneak around the subject of Carolyn with him (although he was totally busted by Logan), trying to get information for Alex who had appeared to befriend Carolyn, or perhaps even Carolyn herself. He knew that she was pissed at him. That was the only explanation for her erratic behavior. She was angry with him for what they had done, for seeing her differently, and he did see her differently, and she most definitely had recognized it. But she had treated him harshly, teasing him, and then turning indifferent in his presence. She no doubt wanted an apology. And she deserved one.

"You think that you took advantage of me?" she asked him, knowing it was the truth but finding it just as incredulous as the first time she had heard it, from Alex revealing what Bobby had learned. He finally made eye contact with her, and it wasn't what she had expected. He didn't look pissed at her for forcing him to face his feelings; he looked relieved.

"You were drunk," he explained. "I took you home with me."

"You were drunk, too," she countered. "And I _went_ home with you."

"You don't blame me?" he asked, confused. He hated when women pulled this kind of crap. Why couldn't anything ever be simple? Say what you're thinking. Period. Plain and Simple!

"No. Of course not!" she answered. His eyes flashed at her. _So much for not pissing him off!_

"Then why have you been acting so crazy?" he snapped at her.

"I've been acting crazy?" she snapped back, feeling heat rising to the surface of her face. She wasn't sure if it was because she felt like punching him really hard in the stomach or because she found herself incredibly attracted to him at the moment.

"Yes!" he retorted, barely able to fight the urge to bellow at her small stubborn form. _God, she could be so frustrating!_ "First you say we're 'okay'-and I should've known then because 'okay' to women is almost as bad as 'fine'-then you start to flirt with me, and then because that's not confusing enough, you become the ice princess again!"

"Know what? Forget it! I don't care." she said coldly back to him, forcing calm back into her voice. _That man is the most infuriating…_Why was he so dense? He was right about her treatment of him even if he couldn't identify its cause. Her behavior had been rather random. But she didn't deserve him putting it all on her. It was his issue, too. He had been behaving erratically as well!

"What is your problem?" he asked in a manner that was too vindictive to ease the tension between them.

"No. I give up," she brushed him off. "I don't want to talk to you anymore."

And with that she pushed the button to start the elevator on its trip to the lobby, breaking eye contact and moving to stand beside him instead of facing him. Logan sighed pointedly. He had had quite a number of relationships with women over the years, but he never thought he'd be capable of really understanding them. They _were_ people, smart, compassionate people, but for being of the supposed same species as himself, he was remarkably lost as to their motives and behavior sometimes-well, most of the time.

She glanced in his direction briefly. He was staring straight ahead, looking rather uncomfortable and a little ticked off. How could she let things become so screwed up? Could she really just let this go? Would they be able to get over it? Probably not. She had to do something, make things clear to him. _But what?_

She turned towards him and jumping up slightly, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him into an intense kiss. He hesitated at first, but only for a split-second before instincts took over and he returned it, grabbing her waist with his hands and leaning in slightly to relieve the pressure of her weight pulling at his neck. The elevator chimed two floors before she pulled away from him and they broke the kiss off.

"Whoa," he said, breathless. He turned away and placed a hand against the wall of the elevator, attempting to steady himself against the aftereffects of the kiss.

"Uh-huh," Carolyn agreed with her partner, feeling and thinking the exact same thing he was for the first time in weeks. She licked her lips self-consciously and turned to face the elevator doors again as they rapidly approached the lobby. After that, he _had_ to know what her feelings were.

The sharper, more obnoxious chime of the elevator announced the arrival to its commanded destination. The doors began to slide open, but only made it an inch apart before they stuttered and jerked shut. Carolyn glanced over to the source of the interruption.

Mike had jabbed the close-door button in a rash decision. Letting her just walk off like there was nothing between them, even after that kiss, that would be a mistake. She would rethink it, want to take it back, doubt what she thought his response had been. And that would get them nowhere; they'd be stuck just like they'd been, struggling with complex emotions, failing to communicate with one another. So he grabbed her, pulled her into another passionate kiss, solidified in both their minds the rush they had felt earlier, its existence as a reflection of the attraction they had been fighting for weeks. He released her and they exited the elevator together, looking a little more disheveled than people emerging from an elevator should.

"I think that was a very productive conversation," Logan told her, smiling mischievously. A slight blush colored her cheeks and he was glad to know he had put it there. "I hope we can have more talks like this again."


	8. Deja Vu

**Disclaimer: I don't own Law & Order Criminal Intent or its characters…**

**Author's note: Well, this is it for this fic…**

**To 'The Confused One' (and others who are of the same persuasion): I tried to squeeze in some BA, but didn't get very close (sorry)…maybe next time ;-)**

**Just A Little…**

Déjà vu

Carolyn Barek yawned and stretched, not unlike a cat lying in the sun. And she was filled with the same kind of warmth and bliss. She snuggled closer to the cause of her contentment, and couldn't help feeling just a little déjà vu upon waking in a familiar place with a familiar body.

Unfortunately for Carolyn, nature called. All she really wanted to do was lie there next to the amazing man she called her partner. Well, she called him a lot of things; annoying, childish, brutish, stubborn, charming, compassionate, handsome, sexy. So she bemoaned her dissatisfaction as she pried herself away from his warm body.

Logan yawned and stretched his stiff muscles, aroused from sleep by the movement of Carolyn leaving his bed. He blinked, suffering a bit of déjà vu resultant from the image before him. Again, he was staring at the beautiful bare back of woman. But this time, he knew it was Carolyn, and this time she was making no attempt at modesty. He watched her as she rose from the bed and made her way into the bathroom, admiring the view of her naked backside. He wondered at how much trouble this would get him, for nothing this good ever happened to him. But he did not really care about the consequences as he watched her unclothed hips swing back and forth with each step. Instead he found himself preoccupied with the present, and the very recent past.

Thoughts of the previous night were forced from his head when he noticed the return of his brown-haired beauty. This time he was given the even more alluring view of her figure from the front, her bare breasts bouncing subtly with her soft steps and her hips swinging in a severely enticing manner. She smiled at him before lifting the blankets and slipping back into bed and cuddling up to him again. He jumped slightly as her hands slid over his bare skin.

"Cold hands?" she asked coyly, rubbing her icy fingers over his warm flesh.

He wrapped an arm around her back and pulled her in close, than shifted so that she was lying under him. "We'll just have to warm them up then."

"Is that really all men think about," she teased. "We could get up, go outside. It's a beautiful day."

The way she wrapped her legs around him told him she didn't really want to pursue her offer. The look in her eyes said that she would much rather entertain his suggestion, and he was far more amenable to spending the day in her welcoming arms, exploring her willing body.

Carolyn couldn't help thinking how happy she was as Mike placed kisses upon her flesh. She couldn't help comparing it to how confused and frustrated she had been just a week ago, how lonely she had been before this entire revelation happened, before she had fallen in love with Mike… How lonely and sad the woman who had helped her confront her emotions still was.

"We should do something for Bobby and Alex," Carolyn announced her decision aloud. The kisses and caresses ceased and within seconds Mike was staring her in the eyes.

"What?" he asked. Goren and Eames were the furthest people from his mind at the moment, right next to the Captain and his mother, and the school nurse-well, maybe not the school nurse. In all honesty he had had a crush on the school nurse when he was in sixth grade. But the point was he really didn't want to think about detectives or anything else to do with the police force, or the world beyond him and Carolyn that morning. All he wanted to think about was Carolyn's gorgeous body, sweet smile (he had never before seen enough of it to determine that he loved it so), and melodious laugh (that could be induced by touching several areas he had determined were ticklish).

"They helped us get over, well, _being us_ and realize that we could be _this_," she explained. _And Alex was so lonely and sad_. It hurt Carolyn to think of the troubled woman. Mike sighed.

"Their relationship is different than ours," he tried to explain his reservation in meddling in the affairs of others, specifically other cops.

"No kidding," she countered, kissing his nose and rocking her hips back and forth along with his which were encompassed by hers. He rolled his eyes.

"I mean it's different than ours _was_," he attempted again.

"You're right," she conceded. "But still…"

When he failed to respond, she lifted a hand to cup his cheek, and gently urged him to say something. "Mike?"

"It'll take some thought…"

"But you_ are_ going to think about it?"

"Yes," he said exasperatedly. He loathed prying into other people's personal business, unless it was going to help him solve a case…or provide some sort of amusement. But he knew what Carolyn was proposing would do neither. And yet he knew she was right. He had noticed the intense bond between the other pair of detectives. In fact he had initially figured them for already having a history of the nature he was creating with Carolyn.

"That's all I wanted," Carolyn responded, willing to let it drop for the time being. Letting it slide to the side, she refocused her attention, engaging her partner's lips and welcoming him to her again.

"This is good," she drawled.

"This _is_ good," Mike conferred between kisses. And it was; _very good_. He hadn't been this happy in a long time.

END


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